Steam-superheater.



J. FEHMER.

STEAM SUPERHEATER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1911.

Patented May 5, 1914.

JOSEPH FEHMER, OF COLOGNE, GERMANY.

sTEAM-SUPERHEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

Application filed January 27, 1911. Serial No. 604,936.

To all whom it mayconce'm Be it known that I, JOSEPH FEHIMIER, engineer, a subject of the'King of Prussia, residing at Cologne, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Superheaters, of which the following is a specification. i

invention relates to improvements in steam superheaters, and more particularly to superheaters in which the heating fluid and the fluid to be heated are separated by plates. 1 And the object of the improvements is to increase the heating effect of apparatus of this class. I have discovered, that in apparatus of this class the transmission of the heat fromthe heating medium to the plates is satisfactory if the plates are made of a material of sufficient conductivity, while the transmission of the heat from the said plates to the steam to be heated is insuflicient. And I have found the reasonfor this to reside in the fact that the conductivity of the steam is small, so that the heat can not pass to the inner particles of the current of steam flowing through the heating elements, even if the cross-section of the latter is small. I have found that the transmission of the heat to the steam can be considerably improved if all the particles of thest eam are frequently brought in contact with the plates.

Therefore my invention consists in constructing the heater of undulated plates which are located with their surfaces adjacent to each other and at a slight distance from each other, and in which the fluid to be heated is conducted in the direction of the undulation, so that it is forced to constantly change the direction of its flow and to strike against the surfaces of the said plates. By thus bringing each particle of the steam in contact with the heating plates the transmission of the heat from the heating fluid is considerably improved as compared to apparatus in which the particles of the steam are not brought in contact with the said plates, but pass between the same substantially in a uniform way. In the preferred form' of the superheater the heating fluid flows in a direction transverse to'the undulations of the plates, or along the crests of the waves. Thereby the plates are uniformly heated over their whole surfaces, While in superheaters of ordinary construction the rear sides of the heating elements. such for example as tubes, are not struck by the heating fluid,'at all.

Fig. 3, is ahorizontal section of the same,

Fig. 4., is a longitudinal sectionof a superheater element provided with partitions between the undulated plates by means of which the length of the path of the fluid along the heating plates is increased, Fig. 5,

is a vertical cross-section of Fig. 4., Fig. 6, is

a horizontal section of Fig. 1,'Fig. 7 ,'.iS a

vertical cross-section of a modification of the superheater element in which a partition is provided whereby the steam to be superheated is forced to pass through each element in opposite directions, Fig. 8, is a vertical cross-section of a flue with the superheater elements arranged therein, and Fig. 9, is a-vertical cross-section of Fig. 8.

Referring to the example illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawing, each superheater element is constructed of two undulated plates 1, I placed with their surfaces adjacent to each other and at a small distance from each other. At their ends the said plates form chambers 2, 2 provided with flanged studs 3, 3. The-steam is admitted through one of the studs 3 and it escapes through the opposite one. As appears more particularly from Fig. 3, the undulations of the plates l-are inthe direction of the flow of the steam. Thereby the steam is forced to constantly change the direction of its flow through the superheater element, and all of its particles are brought in contact with the heating plates 1, 1. This is of considerable importance, because the conductivity of the steam for heat is comparatively small, so that the outer particles of the steam can not easily transmit the heat to the inner ones. In the practice of my invention I place a plurality of superheater elements of the construction described at the side of one another, and at asuitable distance from one another so as to form passages for the 'heat-- ing fl'iiid, as is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. In the preferred form of the apparatus the arrangement is such, that the heating medium flows between the elements 1, 1 transversely of the flow of the steam to be superheated, or

along the crests of the waves of the plates 1, 1. Thereby all the parts of the surfaces of the heating plates are brought in contact with the heating fluid. In this respect my improved superheater is preferable to superheaters of known construction in which the heating fluid strikes against a part of the heating surface while it does not contact with other parts, as is the case for example in super-heaters with tubular heating elements, in which the rear sides of the tubes are not struck by the heating fluid. In order that the steam to be heated may more uniformly pass between the plates 1, l I taper the latter from the inlet stud 3 outward, as appears more particularly from Fig. 2.

lnlFigs. 4 to 6 I have shown an example in which the length of the path of the steam through the heating elements is increased in order to more thoroughly heat the same. For this purpose I provide partitions 4, 4 within the said elements which alternately extend to the end of the chambers 2, 2, and to a point away from the same. By the said partitions the steam is conducted through the heating elements along a serpentine, so that it is in contact with the said plates for a longer time. By varying the number of the said partitions the apparatus can be adapted to various conditions. For example, if the temperature of the heating gases is high, the number of the partitions is made comparatively small.

In Fig. 7 I have shown an example of a heating element inwhich the inlet and outlet studsB', 3 are disposed at the same side of the element, and in which the steam flows through the said element in opposite direc-. tions. For this purpose I provide a partition within the heating element which at th end adjacent the inlet and outlet studs extends to the wall of the chamber 2 while at the opposite-end it extends to a point/away from the said wall. As appears from the drawing, the steam to be heated is admitted through one of the studs 3', it flows downward through the right hand section of the heating element and afterward'upward through the left hand section and to the outlet stud.

In Figs 8 and 9 I have shown, how a plurality of heating elements may be combined within a flue to form a superheater. As shown the heating gas is admitted from below, flows upward along a set of heating elements, turns to the right at the upper ends of the latter, and descends along a second set of heating elements. The steam to be heated is admitted through and escapes from studs 3, 8. The current ofthe heating gas is thus divided -by the heating elements into separate sections. Its speed can be varied, by varying the distance of the elements from each other. In a similar way the speed of the steam withinv the latter may be altered by changing the relative distance of the plates 1, 1 of each element.

I claim herein as my invention:

l. 'A superheater comprising heating elements in the form of hollow plates the space inclosed by each of which is divided by a partition into a series of channels in sub stantially zigzag arrangement, the outlet end of one channel being substantially coincident with the inlet end of the next succeeding channel; said plates being formed with undulations the direction of which is the general direction of flow of the steam to be heated.

2. A superheater comprising heating elements in the form of hollow plates the space inclosed by each of which is divided by a partition into a series of channels in substantially Zigzag arrangement, the outlet end of one channel being substantially coincident with the inlet end of the next succeeding channel; said plates being formed with undulations the direction of which is the general direction of flow of the steam to be heated and the crests of which run in a direction parallel to the general direction of flow of the stream of heating fluid.

3. A superheater comprising heating elements in the form of hollow plates the space inclosed by each of which is divided by partitions into a series of channels in substantially zigzag arrangement, the outlet end of inclosed by each of which is divided by a fluted partition into a series of channels in substantially zigzag arrangement, the outlet end of one channel being substantially coincident with the inlet end of the next succeeding channel; said plates being formed with undulations the direction of which is the general direction of flow of the steam to be heated,

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH FEHME R.

Witnesses OSCAR DEPNER, MARTIN W'nBER. 

